CN110825103A

CN110825103A - System and method for guiding a vehicle along a travel path

Info

Publication number: CN110825103A
Application number: CN201910725775.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 詹姆斯·杰勒德·洛佩兹; 绍博尔奇·安德拉斯·波吉奥斯
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 2018-08-07
Filing date: 2019-08-07
Publication date: 2020-02-21
Also published as: EP3608633A1; EP3608633B1

Abstract

A vehicle guidance system is provided. The vehicle guidance system includes a vehicle trajectory management system, a position reference system, and a vehicle. The vehicle trajectory management system is configured to generate a vehicle travel path including a plurality of waypoints including a departure location, a destination location and at least one vehicle re-excitation location positioned therebetween. The positioning reference system includes a transmitter configured to transmit a transmission signal including position information associated with a coordinate system relative to the transmitter. The vehicle includes: a receiver configured to receive a transmission signal; an energy storage device comprising a first amount of energy for propelling the vehicle along a vehicle travel path; and a control device comprising a control system in communication with the position reference system and the vehicle trajectory management system. The control device is configured to control the vehicle along a vehicle travel path.

Description

System and method for guiding a vehicle along a travel path

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application No.15/087,015 filed on 31/3/2016 and claiming the benefit of U.S. application No.16/057,455 entitled "System and method for Positioning an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle" filed on 7/8/2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle guidance system, and more particularly, to a trajectory management system configured to generate a plurality of waypoints.

Background

The field of the present disclosure relates generally to vehicle guidance systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods for generating a multi-dimensional vehicle travel path and guiding a vehicle along the vehicle travel path using at least one vehicle re-excitation location.

Vehicles may include manned, unmanned, autonomous, and non-autonomous vehicles. For example, the vehicle may be an air-based, water-based, and/or land-based vehicle. Many vehicles include onboard navigation systems. These systems may use inertial navigation sensors, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, for flight positioning and maneuvering, and satellite-based navigation for general positioning and routing. Satellite-based navigation systems compensate for position errors caused by accelerometer and gyroscope biases, drift, and other errors. However, man-made structures and natural features may interfere with satellite-based navigation systems, thereby interfering with the precise positioning and control of the vehicle as it travels through a given medium. Further, there is no established infrastructure and system to manage the operation of low altitude autonomous vehicle vehicles, and to arrange and queue the re-excitation of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles throughout their travel path in low altitude (4000 feet below ground) airspace, for example.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, a vehicle guidance system is provided. The vehicle guidance system includes a vehicle trajectory management system, a position reference system, and a vehicle. The vehicle trajectory management system is configured to generate a vehicle travel path including a plurality of waypoints including a departure location, a destination location, and at least one vehicle re-launch location positioned between the departure location and the destination location. The positioning reference system includes a transmitter configured to transmit a transmission signal including position information associated with a coordinate system. The vehicle includes a receiver configured to receive the transmission signal, an energy storage device, and a control device. The energy storage device is configured to store energy for propelling the vehicle along a vehicle travel path, wherein the at least one vehicle re-energizing location is configured to add an amount of energy to the energy storage device. The control device includes a control system in communication with the position reference system and the vehicle trajectory management system. The control device is configured to control the vehicle along a vehicle travel path based on the position information received from the position reference system.

In another aspect, a vehicle guidance system is provided. The vehicle guidance system includes a vehicle trajectory management system, a position reference system, and a vehicle. The vehicle trajectory management system is configured to generate a vehicle travel path including a plurality of waypoints including a departure location, a destination location, and at least one vehicle reactivation location positioned between the departure location and the destination location. The position reference system includes a scanning electromagnetic radiation emitter configured to modulate a transmission signal to encode position information associated with a coordinate system. The vehicle includes an electromagnetic radiation receiver configured to receive the transmission signal, a control device, and an energy storage device. The control device includes a control system in communication with the position reference system and the vehicle trajectory management system. The control device is configured to control the vehicle along the vehicle travel path based on the position information received from the position reference system, wherein at least one of the vehicle trajectory management system and the control system determines at least one vehicle re-excitation position based on at least the position information received by the electromagnetic radiation receiver. The energy storage device is configured to store energy for propelling the vehicle along a vehicle travel path, wherein the at least one vehicle re-energizing location is configured to add energy to the energy storage device.

In yet another aspect, a method for guiding a vehicle is provided. The method includes generating, using a vehicle trajectory management system, a vehicle travel path including a plurality of waypoints including a departure location, a destination location and at least one vehicle refire location positioned between the departure location and the destination location. The method also includes sending a transmission signal including location information associated with the coordinate system using a positioning reference system including a transmitter. The method also includes receiving the transmission signal using a receiver of the vehicle. Finally, the method includes controlling the vehicle along a vehicle travel path using a control device of the vehicle based on the position information received from the position reference system.

Drawings

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary vehicle guidance system including an air-based vehicle, a vehicle trajectory management system, and a position reference system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary vehicle travel path generated by a vehicle trajectory management system, the exemplary vehicle travel path including a plurality of waypoints and a vehicle reactivation location;

FIG. 3 is a graphical view of an exemplary transmission signal encoded with position information and transmitted by the position reference system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of exemplary transmitted signals transmitted and projected into space by the position reference system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a vehicle and a positioning reference system of the vehicle guidance system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a re-energizing position for the vehicle guidance system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the position reference system and vehicle shown in FIG. 1, with the vehicle positioned in line-of-sight communication with the re-energized position shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 positioned for wireless re-excitation;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of locating the vehicle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of changing a position of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1; and

fig. 11 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for guiding the vehicle shown in fig. 1 along a vehicle travel path.

Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings provided herein are intended to illustrate features of embodiments of the present disclosure. These features are believed to be applicable to a variety of systems that include one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings are not intended to include all of the conventional features known to those of ordinary skill in the art for practicing the embodiments disclosed herein.

Detailed Description

In the following specification and claims, reference will be made to a number of terms, which shall be defined to have the following meanings.

The singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

"optional" or "optionally" means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where the event occurs and instances where it does not.

Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms (e.g., "about," "about," and "substantially") is not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some cases, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. Here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/or interchanged, such ranges are identified and include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise.

As used herein, the terms "processor" and "computer" and related terms (e.g., "processing device," "computing device," and "controller") are not limited to just those integrated circuits referred to in the art as a computer, but broadly refer to a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits, and these terms are used interchangeably herein. In the embodiments described herein, memory may include, but is not limited to, computer-readable media, such as Random Access Memory (RAM), and computer-readable non-volatile media, such as flash memory. Alternatively, a floppy disk, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk (MOD), and/or a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) may also be used. Also, in the embodiments described herein, the additional input channels may be, but are not limited to, computer peripherals associated with operator interfaces such as a mouse and a keyboard. Alternatively, other computer peripherals may be used, which may include, for example, but are not limited to, a scanner. Further, in the exemplary embodiment, additional output channels may include, but are not limited to, an operator interface monitor.

Further, as used herein, the terms "software" and "firmware" are interchangeable, and include any computer program stored in memory for execution by a personal computer, workstation, client and server.

As used herein, the term "non-transitory computer-readable medium" is intended to represent any tangible computer-based apparatus implemented in any method or technology for the short-and long-term storage of information (e.g., computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and sub-modules, or other data in any apparatus). Thus, the methods described herein may be encoded as executable instructions embodied in tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media (including, but not limited to, storage devices and memory devices). When executed by a processor, the instructions cause the processor to perform at least a portion of the methods described herein. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "non-transitory computer readable medium" includes all tangible computer readable media, including but not limited to non-transitory computer storage devices, including but not limited to volatile and non-volatile media, and removable and non-removable media, such as firmware, physical and virtual storage, CD-ROM, DVD, and any other digital source, such as a network or the internet, as well as digital means not yet developed, with the sole exception of transitory, propagated signals.

As used herein, the term "real-time command" is intended to mean an instruction formatted to control a control system and related components that are received and then executed in sequence. These activities are substantially instantaneous. The real-time commands are not stored for execution at a substantially later time or in a different order than the order in which the commands were received.

The vehicle guidance systems and methods described herein provide enhanced vehicle travel path planning, vehicle travel scheduling, vehicle positioning, vehicle guidance, vehicle reactivation scheduling and booking, and vehicle reactivation for multiple vehicles along a vehicle travel path. Further, the systems and methods described herein allow for enhanced real-time in-transit vehicle travel path updates, including being directed to a vehicle re-launch location based on the vehicle's changed launch status and the in-transit vehicle's re-launch priority along similar vehicle travel paths. In addition, the systems and methods described herein facilitate rapid and efficient re-excitation of a vehicle by maintaining the vehicle in a stationary position and more accurately and efficiently guiding the vehicle to a particular re-excitation location. By accurately establishing the position of the vehicle relative to a fixed or mobile position reference system and scheduling the re-excitation position in real time in response to the current excitation state of the vehicle and the vehicle travel path, the vehicle is able to achieve enhanced operational capability, availability, and more efficient operation.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary vehicle guidance system 100 that includes a vehicle 102, a vehicle trajectory management system 103, and a position reference system 104. Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle travel path 101 generated by a vehicle trajectory management system 103, including a plurality of waypoints 111 and two vehicle reactivation positions 107. In the exemplary embodiment, vehicle 102 is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that is configured to operate in the air and that is capable of flying (autonomously or substantially autonomously) without an onboard pilot. For example, but not limiting of, the vehicle 102 is a fixed wing aircraft, a tiltrotor aircraft, a helicopter, a multi-rotor drone such as a quad-rotor, an airship, or other aircraft. In alternative embodiments, the vehicle guidance system 100 includes a land-based vehicle (not shown) and/or a water-based vehicle (not shown). For example, but not limited to, the land-based vehicle is a wheeled vehicle, such as an automobile or truck-type vehicle, a tracked vehicle, or other ground vehicle of any size. In a further alternative embodiment, the vehicle guidance system 100 includes a water-based vehicle. For example, but not limited to, the water-based vehicle is a surface vehicle such as a ship or a submersible vehicle such as a submarine. In further alternative embodiments, the vehicle 102 may be operated by an operator on the vehicle 102 or an operator located remotely from the vehicle 102.

The vehicle 102 includes at least one control device 105. The control device 105 generates controlled forces and maintains or changes the position, orientation or location of the vehicle 102. The control device 105 is a thrust device or control surface. A thrust device is a device that provides propulsion or thrust to the vehicle 102. For example, but not limited to, the thrust device is a motor-driven propeller, jet engine, or other source of propulsion. The control surface is a controllable surface or other device that provides a force due to deflection of the airflow through the control surface. For example, but not limited to, the control surface is an elevator, rudder, aileron, spoiler, flap, slat, airbrake, or trim device. The control device 105 may also be a mechanism configured to change the pitch angle of the propeller or rotor blades, or a mechanism configured to change the pitch angle of the rotor blades.

The vehicle 102 is controlled by the systems described herein, including, but not limited to, an onboard control system (shown in FIG. 5), a reactivation position (not shown in FIG. 1), at least one control device 105, a vehicle trajectory management system 103, and a position reference system 104. The vehicle 102 may be controlled by, for example, but not limited to, a real-time command received by the vehicle 102 from the vehicle re-excitation location 107, a set of pre-programmed instructions received by the vehicle 102 from the re-excitation location, a set of instructions and/or programs stored in an on-board control system, or a combination of these control schemes.

The real-time commands control at least one control device 105. For example, but not limiting of, the real-time commands include instructions that, when executed by the onboard control system, cause throttle adjustments, flap adjustments, aileron adjustments, rudder adjustments, or other control surface or thrust device adjustments. In some embodiments, the real-time commands also control additional components of the vehicle 102. For example, but not limiting of, the real-time command includes instructions that, when executed by the on-board control system, cause the wireless charging receiver (shown in fig. 5) to change the power source (shown in fig. 5).

From the position reference system 104, a set of predetermined instructions received by the vehicle trajectory management system 103 and/or the vehicle recharging location 107 are formatted to control the vehicle 102 when executed by the onboard control system. For example, but not limiting of, the set of instructions is a sequence of two or more instructions formatted to control the at least one control device 105, two or more instructions formatted to control the at least one control device 105 to reduce movement of the vehicle 102 away from a predetermined point, a sequence of two or more instructions formatted to control the at least one control device 105 to move the vehicle 102 to a predetermined position, or a sequence of two or more instructions formatted to control the at least one control device 105 to perform a maneuver to change the position of the vehicle 102. Maneuvers are, for example and without limitation, roll, yaw, climb, dive, slip turn, bank turn, standard rate turn, or other maneuvers. In some embodiments, the set of instructions received from the re-energizing location also controls additional components of the vehicle 102. For example, but not limiting of, the set of instructions, when executed by the on-board control system, cause the wireless charging receiver to change power.

A set of instructions and/or programs stored in and executed by the on-board control system may control the vehicle 102. The set of instructions or programs are stored in and provided to the memory of the vehicle 102. For example, but not limiting of, the set of instructions or programs are transmitted to the on-board control system via a wireless or wired connection and stored in memory. The set of instructions or programs may be general or task specific. The general instructions or programs, for example, but not limited to, are formatted to control the at least one control device 105 to perform a particular maneuver, control the at least one control device 105 to perform a particular set of maneuvers, control the at least one control device 105 to operate the vehicle 102 in a particular mode (e.g., station keeping mode) to reduce movement of the vehicle 102 relative to a particular location, or wireless charging receiver, to change the power source.

In some embodiments, the vehicle 102 is controlled by a combination of real-time commands, a set of instructions received from the vehicle re-energizing location 107, and a set of instructions and/or programs stored in an onboard control system. For example, but not limiting of, the real-time command is used to initiate a particular task, such as positioning the vehicle 102 for re-excitation at the vehicle re-excitation location 107. A set of instructions received by the vehicle 102 from the re-launch location causes the vehicle 102 to travel to a series of waypoints 111 and ultimately to a destination location 119. A set of instructions and/or programs stored in the onboard control system are executed to perform maneuvers using the control device 105 to cause the vehicle 102 to travel to each waypoint 111 and vehicle re-energizing location 107.

The vehicle guidance system 100 includes a vehicle trajectory management system 103 configured to generate a vehicle travel path 101. Each vehicle travel path 101 is generated for a particular vehicle 102 and a particular trip includes a plurality of waypoints 111. The vehicle guidance system 100 maps each vehicle travel path 101 in four dimensions, including the reference coordinate system 117, the Z-direction, the X-direction, the Y-direction, and the time dimension, so that the calculated position of each vehicle 102 may be determined at any given time during each vehicle travel path 101. The plurality of waypoints 111 includes a departure location 113, a destination location 119, and at least one vehicle reactivation location 107 located along each vehicle travel path 101 at waypoint 111 between departure location 113 and destination location 119. In the exemplary embodiment, for example, vehicle trajectory management system 103 is configured to determine at least one vehicle re-excitation location 107 from a plurality of vehicle re-excitation locations 107 based on at least one of a length of vehicle travel path 101, operational availability of at least one vehicle re-excitation location 107 of the plurality of vehicle re-excitation locations 107, weather conditions along vehicle travel path 101, a first amount of energy stored by energy storage device 420, and a priority of a vehicle 102 of the plurality of vehicles 102 having a plurality of priorities.

In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the operational availability of each vehicle re-excitation location 107 may be determined according to a plurality of factors including the amount of stored energy available at each vehicle re-excitation location 107, the ability of each vehicle re-excitation location 107 to re-excite one or more vehicles 102, and the vehicles 102 having been scheduled to utilize each re-excitation location 107 by the vehicle trajectory management system 103. For example, the priority of the vehicle 102 may be determined by a number of factors including the level of excitation of the vehicle 102, the length of the vehicle travel path 101, weather conditions in the area of the vehicle 102, criticality of the cargo on the vehicle 102 (e.g., organ transplant). Based on the above factors, a specific reactivation location 107 and/or a plurality of reactivation locations 107 are scheduled and/or reserved for each vehicle 102 along each vehicle travel path 101.

The vehicle guidance system 100 includes a position reference system 104 in communication with a vehicle trajectory management system 103 to improve the position of the vehicle 102. For example, but not limiting of, satellite-based navigation systems and other systems may be less accurate than the position reference system 104 and/or negatively affected by interference caused by structural or natural features. The position reference system 104 transmits a transmission signal 106. The transmission signal 106 is encoded with position information. The location information is associated with the position reference system 104 and is related to the position reference system 104. The position reference system 104 transmits the transmission signal 106 within the transmission domain 108 using an electromagnetic radiation emitter 109. The electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 is configured to transmit the transmission signal 106 in a pattern. The pattern creates a first grid 114 and a second grid 116 within the upper boundary 110 and the lower boundary 112. For example, the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 scans a beam emitted by the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 in a raster pattern, and the transmission signal 106 is encoded onto the beam using modulation as the beam scans specific points in the raster pattern. This produces dots at the intersection of each of the first grid 114 and the second grid 116. The position data information included in the transmission signal 106 corresponds to the position of the beam within the raster pattern transmitted by the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109.

The first grid 114 and the second grid 116 are the result of the transmission signal 106 in a pattern that projects intersecting lines substantially in the Y-direction of the coordinate system 117. At a distance R from the positioning reference system 104 in the Z-X plane₂The projection of the intersecting lines of the view appears as a first grid 114. In the Z-X plane at a distance greater than a first distance R₂Distance R of₃The same projection of the cross-hairs as viewed at (a) appears as a second grid 116 which appears relatively larger than the first grid 114.

Distance R away from the positioning reference system 104₂A first grid 114 of points is spatially bounded in the horizontal direction by a first vertical line 120 and a last vertical line 122. The plurality of vertical lines generated spatially and temporally between the first vertical line 120 and the last vertical line 122 are a result of the timing of transmission of the transmission signal 106 by the positioning reference system 104 as the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 moves within the raster pattern. Distance R away from the positioning reference system 104₂A first grid 114 of points is spatially delimited in the vertical direction by a first horizontal line 118 and a last horizontal line 124. The plurality of horizontal lines generated both spatially and temporally between the first horizontal line 118 and the last horizontal line 124 are a result of the timing of the transmission signal 106 by the position reference system 104 as the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 moves within the raster pattern.

Distance R₂May be a first grid 114 andany distance between the position reference systems 104. For convenience, a distance is determined between a point 126 on the first grid 114 and the position reference system 104, as shown.

Vertical and horizontal lines may be formed by the position reference system 104 in any suitable manner. In an exemplary embodiment, the vertical and horizontal lines are formed due to the raster pattern in which the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 travels electronically or mechanically and the timing of the transmission signal 106 as the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 travels along the raster pattern. In other embodiments, the vertical and horizontal lines are produced by other transmission schemes. For example, all the lines may be formed sequentially or at once. One of the vertical or horizontal lines may be formed before the other. The position reference system 104 may alternate between forming vertical and horizontal lines by transmission of the transmission signal 106. The position reference system 104 may use a scanning laser to form the vertical and horizontal lines, the laser sequentially forming all of one of the vertical and horizontal lines and then sequentially forming the other of the vertical and horizontal lines. The rate at which the lines are formed sequentially may be so fast that for practical purposes it is as if all the lines were formed simultaneously.

Distance R away from the positioning reference system 104₃The second grid 116 is the same as the first grid 114 in terms of the number of horizontal and vertical lines and the number of transmission signals 106, but is farther from the position reference system 104 than the first grid 114. The second grid 116 is spatially bounded in a horizontal direction by a first vertical line 130 of the second grid 116 and a last vertical line 132 of the second grid 116. The plurality of vertical lines generated in space and time between the first vertical line 130 of the second grid 116 and the last vertical line 132 of the second grid 116 are generated by the timing of the transmission signal 106 transmitted by the positioning reference system 104 as the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 moves within the raster pattern. Distance R away from the positioning reference system 104₃The second grid 116 of (a) is spatially delimited in the vertical direction by a first horizontal line 128 of the second grid 116 and a last horizontal line 134 of the second grid 116.

Spatially and temporally between a first horizontal line 128 of the second grid 116 and the second gridThe plurality of horizontal lines between the last horizontal lines 134 of the grid 116 are generated by the timing of the transmission signal 106 transmitted by the position reference system 104 as the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 moves within the raster pattern. Distance R₃May be any distance, distance R, between the second grid 116 and the position reference system 104₃Greater than a distance R₂. For convenience, as shown, a distance R is determined between a point 136 on the second grid 116 and the position reference system 104₃。

In the case of projected grid lines, the similarity of the first grid 114 and the second grid 116 becomes apparent, where the second grid 116 is formed by the same lines that form the first grid 114, except that the second grid 116 is viewed at a greater distance from the position reference system 104, such that the second grid 116 appears larger than the first grid 114. The second grid 116 is located at a distance R by the position reference system 104₃The appearance of the resulting grid lines, and the first grid 114 is at a distance R₂The appearance of the grid lines at (a). The spacing between each horizontal line and the spacing between each vertical line increases with increasing distance from the position reference system 104. The point 126 and the point 136 are located at corresponding positions within the first grid 114 and the second grid 116, respectively. The spatial portion of the position information encoded on the transmission signal 106 passing through points 126 and 136 is the same. The transmission signal is also encoded with temporal location information, such as a timestamp of when the transmission signal 106 was transmitted.

The time stamp allows the distance to the position reference system 104 to be determined when the electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 of the vehicle 102 receives the transmission signal 106. The difference in time of transmitting and receiving the transmitted signal 106 is used to calculate the distance between the vehicle 102 and the position reference system 104. This allows the positioning vehicle 102 to be determined in the Y direction. The time difference also allows for the determination of the spacing between each horizontal line and the spacing between each vertical line at a distance from the position reference system 104 at which the vehicle 102 receives the transmission signal 106. The spatial position information encoded on the transmission signal 106, along with the known distance between each horizontal line and the spacing between each vertical line, allows for the determination of the position of the vehicle 102 within the Z-X plane. These determinations are made by the control system of the vehicle 102 (as shown in fig. 5).

The first grid 114 and the second grid 116 may include any number of vertical lines and any number of horizontal lines. The number of vertical lines and the number of horizontal lines is a function of the speed at which the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 traverses the grating pattern and the frequency at which the transmission signal 106 is transmitted. As shown, they each include ten vertical lines and ten horizontal lines. The greater number of crosswires may improve detection and angular resolution of the fixed transmission field 108 and distance from the position reference system 104 compared to a lesser number of crosswires. The first and

second meshes

114, 116 are depicted as having a square shape, but in alternative embodiments the first and

second meshes

114, 116 have other shapes. For example, but not limiting of, the first grid 114 and the second grid 116 are rectangular, oval, trapezoidal, or circular. The intersection lines of the first and

second meshes

114, 116 are orthogonal, but in alternative embodiments, the intersection lines of the first and

second meshes

114, 116 intersect at other angles. For example, but not limiting of, the angle between the intersecting lines may be a right angle, an acute angle, or an obtuse angle in different parts of the grid.

The vehicle guidance system 100 and the positioning reference system 104 use a cartesian coordinate system. In alternative embodiments, the vehicle guidance system 100 and the positioning reference system 104 use other coordinate systems. For example, but not limiting of, the vehicle guidance system 100 and the position reference system 104 use a polar, cylindrical, or spherical coordinate system. When the vehicle guidance system 100 and the positioning reference system 104 use a coordinate system other than a cartesian coordinate system, the positioning reference system 104 sends the transmission signal 106 using a changed raster pattern or other transmission pattern. For example, and without limitation, the first and

second meshes

114, 116 are formed in a polar coordinate system and the position reference system 104 projects the transmission signal 106 in the transmission field 108 using a transmission pattern that produces a series of concentric circles and lines radiating from the centers of the circles. The transmission signal 106 is projected along a series of points along concentric circles and a line radiating from the center of the circle.

A first grid 114 and a second grid 116 of intersecting projection lines are generated by raster scanning each line or by projecting and scanning an elongated beam of radiation. The position reference system 104 is horizontally raster scanned using the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 to generate a first horizontal line.

The grid generator then goes to the next horizontal line position and raster scans the subsequent horizontal lines. This process is repeated for subsequent horizontal lines until all horizontal lines are generated. The vertical lines are scanned in a similar manner, producing the first vertical line, and then processing of the next vertical line and all other subsequent vertical lines is entered and repeated until all vertical lines are generated. In an alternative embodiment, the position reference system 104 raster scans in only one direction (e.g., horizontal or vertical) and controls the timing of the transmit signal 106 such that the transmit signal 106 passes through the points where horizontal and vertical lines intersect in the first grid 114 and the second grid 116. In further alternative embodiments, the position reference system 104 uses other techniques to transmit the transmission signal 106 encoded with the position information to form the coordinate system.

In an exemplary embodiment, the transmission field 108 is finite. The transmission field 108 is bounded by an upper boundary 110 and a lower boundary 112. Upper bound 110 and lower bound 112 are fixed based on the physical limitations of electromagnetic transmitter 109. The position reference system 104 and/or the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 are positioned such that an object of interest (not shown), flight path, or other navigational interest falls within or near the transmission field 108. The object of interest also includes, for example, but not limited to, a vehicle re-excitation location 107, a wireless re-excitation device (shown in FIG. 8) or a visual transceiver (shown in FIG. 5).

In alternative embodiments, the transmission field 108 is not limited or substantially not limited. The position reference system 104 and/or the electromagnetic transmitter 109 transmit the transmission signal 106 in all directions radiating from the position reference system 104. For example, but not limiting of, the electromagnetic transmitter 109 is mounted in a spherical mounting system, includes a plurality of electromagnetic transmitters 109, or is otherwise configured to transmit the transmission signal 106 in all directions. In some embodiments, the transmission field is substantially unrestricted, but has at least some margin created by the mounting system coupling the electromagnetic transmitter 109 to the position reference system 104.

In the exemplary embodiment, electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 transmits a coherent beam of electromagnetic radiation. Such as, but not limited to, a laser, maser, or other source of electromagnetic radiation. In an alternative embodiment, the electromagnetic emitter 109 transmits electromagnetic radiation having a different beam pattern. For example, but not limiting of, the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 transmits a beam of incoherent electromagnetic radiation. In an exemplary embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 transmits electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths that fall outside the visible spectrum. For example, but not limited to, electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 transmits electromagnetic radiation that falls within the infrared or ultraviolet spectrum. In an alternative embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 transmits electromagnetic radiation within the visible spectrum.

The electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 is configured to receive the transmission signal 106. Electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 is any sensor or combination of sensors configured to measure electromagnetic radiation. For example, but not limited to, electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 is one or more active pixel sensors, bolometers, Charge Coupled Device (CCD) sensors, photodiodes, Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensors, or other photodetectors. In some embodiments, electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 is an array of multiple sensors (as shown in FIG. 4). The electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 is coupled to a control system of the vehicle 102.

The vehicle 102 processes the transmission signal 106 using a control system to determine the position of the vehicle 102 based on the position information included in the transmission signal 106. For example, but not limiting of, the control system determines the distance between the vehicle 102 and the position reference system 104 based on the time of transmission included in the transmission signal 106 and the time of receipt of the transmission signal 106. The control system determines the position of the vehicle 102 in the Z-X plane based on the position information encoded on the transmission signal 106. For example, but not limiting of, the location information includes the point in the raster pattern at which the transmission signal 106 is transmitted, the angle of transmission relative to the position reference system 104, and/or other information. The control system determines the position of the vehicle 102 in the Z-X plane based on the point in the raster pattern at which the transmission signal 106 is transmitted.

Based on the position in the Z-X plane and the distance in the Y direction from the position reference system 104, the control system determines the position of the vehicle 102 relative to the position reference system 104 and the vehicle travel path 101. In some embodiments, the transmission signal 106 includes information about the position of the position reference system 104 and the vehicle travel path 101. For example, but not limiting of, the transmission signal 106 includes global positioning reference system information corresponding to the position of the positioning reference system 104, map coordinates, altitude, and/or other information. Based on the absolute position of the position reference system 104 and the relative positions of the vehicle 102 and the position reference system 104 and the vehicle travel path 101, the control system determines the absolute position of the vehicle 102. In an alternative embodiment, the control system does not determine the absolute position of the vehicle 102, and only determines the position of the vehicle 102 relative to the position reference system 104 and the vehicle travel path 101.

In some alternative embodiments, the control system does not determine the position of the vehicle 102. Instead, the control system identifies the time at which the transmission signal 106 was received and transmits this information to a remote system, such as the reactivation location 107, using a communication system (as shown in FIG. 5). The remote system (e.g., the reactivation location 107) determines the location of the vehicle 102 and transmits the location of the vehicle 102 to the communication system of the vehicle 102. For example, the vehicle 102 is controlled using the position of the vehicle 102 received from the remote system, such as, but not limited to, at least one control device 105 to maintain or change the position or location of the vehicle 102 and remain on the route along the vehicle travel path 101.

FIG. 3 is a graphical view 200 of the transmission signal 106 (shown in FIG. 1) encoded with position information and transmitted by the position reference system 104 (shown in FIG. 1). In an exemplary embodiment, the transmission signal 106 is encoded with the position information using an amplitude modulation scheme. The graph 200 includes an X-axis 202 defining time in seconds. The graph 200 includes a Y-axis 204 that defines a normalized amplitude. Each time period T_sCorresponding to one bit of information. For example, the time between the origin and point 206 corresponds to one bit. A transmission signal 106 with an amplitude of zero corresponds to a logic "0" bit. For example, bit 212 between point 206 and point 208 is logical "A 0 "bit. The transmission signal 106 of amplitude "a" corresponds to a logic "1" bit. For example, bit 214 between point 208 and point 210 is a logic "1" bit. Some of the bits are data bits (both shown in fig. 1) used to encode position information corresponding to a first trellis 114 and a second trellis 116 of the trellis. Some of the bits are start or stop indicators, error check bits, timestamp bits or header bits.

Electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 (shown in fig. 1) detects the amplitude of transmitted signal 106 over time and communicates this information to the control system (shown in fig. 5). The control system uses the encoded information as described herein to control the vehicle 102 (shown in fig. 1). After these bits are detected by the electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 and processed by the control system, the position within the grid can be determined. In some embodiments, the transmission signal 106 is also used to communicate between the positioning reference system 104 and the vehicle 102 using messages that include information other than information about the location within the first and

second meshes

114, 116.

In alternative embodiments, other modulation schemes are used to encode the transmission signal 106. For example, but not limited to, the transmission signal 106 is encoded using frequency modulation, sideband modulation, phase shift keying, frequency shift keying, amplitude shift keying, or quadrature amplitude modulation. In still further embodiments, two or more modulation schemes are used to encode the transmission signal 106 with the location information.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram 300 of the transmitted signal 106 (shown in FIG. 1) transmitted by the position reference system 104 (shown in FIG. 1) and projected into space. View 300 shows the first grid 114 projected in the Z-X plane of the coordinate system 117. The first grid 114 is defined by a first vertical line 120 and a last vertical line 122. The first grid 114 is also bounded by a first horizontal line 118 and a last horizontal line 124. An electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 (shown in fig. 1) receives the transmission signal 106 forming the first grid 114. Electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 includes a plurality of receiver components, including a first receiver component 302, a second receiver component 304, a third receiver component 306, and a fourth receiver component 308. In alternative embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 includes a different number of receiver components. Each of the vertical and horizontal lines formed by the transmission signal 106 is encoded so that each region within the grids 1 to 100 can be identified. The four receiver members 302,304,306,308 are in a non-coplanar configuration resulting from the orientation of the vehicle 102 (shown in FIG. 1). Each circle in fig. 4 is shown at a different size because the non-coplanar spacing of the detectors will produce a different area of intersection with the first grid 114.

Each receiver element 302,304,306,308 generates an output signal when it receives the transmission signal 106 in the first grid 114. When the receiver members 302,304,306,308 cross the intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines, the receiver members 302,304,306,308 receive the transmission signal 106 encoded with position information specific to the intersection. Using the control system of the vehicle 102, the output signals generated by each receiver assembly 302,304,306,308 receiving the transmission signal 106 are demodulated and processed to determine the position of each receiver assembly 302,304,306,308 within the first grid 114 and the distance of each receiver assembly 302,304,306,308 from the position reference system 104.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the vehicle 102 and the position reference system 104. The position reference system 104 includes a power source 402 and an electromagnetic radiation emitter 109. The power supply provides power to the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109, which the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 uses to transmit the transmission signal 106 (shown in fig. 1). The power source 402 is, for example, but not limited to, one or more of a battery, a solar cell, a connection to a power grid, a generator, or other source of electrical energy. In some embodiments, the position reference system 104 includes other components. For example, but not limiting of, the position reference system 104 includes a control system, a communication system, or other components. In some embodiments, the position reference system 104 is always on and continuously transmitting the transmission signal 106. In an alternative embodiment, the position reference system 104 transmits the transmission signal 106 as intended.

For example, but not limiting of, the position reference system 104 transmits the transmission signal 106 during the day, a fixed work schedule, or other scheduled time period. In still further embodiments, the position reference system 104 receives communications from the re-excitation location 107, the vehicle 102, the vehicle trajectory management system 103, and/or any other system that controls the transmission of the transmission signal 106 by the position reference system 104. For example, but not limiting of, the position reference system 104 is in a listening or standby mode and when the position reference system 104 receives a communication from the vehicle 102 or the vehicle reactivation position 107, the position reference system 104 begins transmitting the transmission signal 106. The position reference system 104 facilitates at least one of: positioning the vehicle 102 for line-of-sight communication of data to a vehicle re-excitation location 107 (shown in fig. 6), positioning the vehicle 102 for wireless re-excitation, and positioning the vehicle 102 for other re-excitations.

The vehicle 102 includes an electromagnetic radiation receiver 115. The electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 receives the transmission signal 106 from the electromagnetic radiation transmitter 109 of the position reference system 104. The electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 is coupled to a control system 404. The electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 outputs a signal to the control system 404, and the control system 404 reflects the received transmission signal 106. For example, but not limiting of, electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 outputs a voltage corresponding to a logic bit encoded on transmission signal 106. The control system 404 processes the signals from the electromagnetic radiation receivers 115 as described herein to determine the position of the vehicle 102.

Control system 404 is a real-time controller that includes any suitable processor-based or microprocessor-based system, such as a computer system including microcontrollers, Reduced Instruction Set Circuits (RISC), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), logic circuits, and/or any other circuit or processor capable of executing the functions described herein. In one embodiment, the control system 404 may be a microprocessor including Read Only Memory (ROM) and/or Random Access Memory (RAM), such as a 32-bit microcomputer with 2Mbit ROM and 64Kbit RAM. In the exemplary embodiment, control system 404 also includes a memory device (not shown) that stores executable instructions for performing the functions described herein. For example, in the exemplary embodiment, the memory devices store instructions that are executed by a signal processor 406 subsystem and a flight control system 408 subsystem of control system 404.

The signal processor 406 subsystem and the flight control system 408 subsystem may be software subsystems, hardware subsystems, or a combination of hardware and software. Control system 404, signal processor 406, and/or flight control system 408 may include one or more processing units (not shown) such as, but not limited to, an Integrated Circuit (IC), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a microcomputer, a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), and/or any other programmable circuit. A processor may include multiple processing units (e.g., in a multi-core configuration). The processor executes instructions on which to perform the functions described herein. The above examples are exemplary only, and are thus not intended to limit in any way the definition and/or meaning of the term "processor".

The signal processor 406 is configured to process signals received from the electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 at the control system 404. The signal processor 406 is configured to process the transmission signal 106. The signal processor 406 demodulates the transmission signal 106 and retrieves the position information from the transmission signal 106. Based on the position information, the signal processor 406 determines the position of the vehicle 102 relative to the position reference system 104, as described herein. For example, but not limiting of, the signal processor 406 determines the position of the vehicle 102 in the Z-X plane relative to the position reference system 104 (shown in fig. 1) based on the spatial portion of the position information encoded on the transmission signal 106. The spatial portion of the location information identifies the location of the transmission signal 106 in the first grid 114 and the second grid 116. This information identifies the position of the vehicle 102 in the Z-X plane. The signal processor 406 determines the position of the vehicle 102 in the Y direction relative to the position reference system 104 (shown in fig. 1) and the vehicle trajectory management system 103 based on the time position encoded on the transmission signal 106.

The transmission signal 106 includes a timestamp corresponding to when the transmission signal 106 was transmitted. Using the time stamp and the time of receipt of the transmission signal 106, the signal processor 406 determines the distance between the position reference system 104 and the vehicle 102. In embodiments where the first grid 114 and the second grid 116 diverge, e.g., the distance between vertical and/or horizontal lines is spaced further apart in the second grid 116 than in the first grid 114, the signal processor 406 uses the spatial portion of the transmission signal 106 in combination with the temporal position to determine the position of the vehicle in the Z-X plane (as shown in fig. 1).

In embodiments where the electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 includes multiple components 302,304,306,308 (shown in FIG. 4), the signal processor 406 uses the position information received by each component 302,304,306,308 to determine the position of the vehicle 102. For example, and without limitation, the signal processor 406 uses the known geometric relationships between each component 302,304,306,308 and the position information provided by each component 302,304,306,308 to determine the position of the vehicle 102 in the Z-X plane (as shown in FIG. 1) and in the Y direction relative to the position reference system 104 (as shown in FIG. 1) and the vehicle travel path 101.

In some embodiments, the signal processor 406 receives positioning information from the positioning reference system 410. The positioning information is information about the position of the vehicle 102 at a particular location. For example, but not limiting of, positioning information includes roll angle, yaw angle, pitch angle, airspeed, altitude, and/or other positioning information. The control system 404 uses the positioning information to control the at least one control device 105 to control the flight of the vehicle 102. In some embodiments, the control system 404 is configured to control the vehicle 102 along the vehicle travel path 101 without using satellite-based navigation system data. The position reference system 410 includes at least one of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, an inclinometer, and/or other sensors. In some embodiments, the position reference system 410 includes a satellite-based navigation system receiver, such as a global positioning reference system receiver, a radio frequency navigation system, and/or other navigation systems. In some embodiments, the signal processor 406 combines the position information with the positioning information using, for example, but not limited to, a kalman filter. The control system 404 uses the combined information to determine the position of the vehicle 102.

Flight control system 408 is configured to at least process information from signal processor 406 and control at least one control device 105 based on the received information. Flight control system 408 controls at least one control device 105 to maintain and/or stabilize vehicle 102 at the current position determined by signal processor 406. Flight control system 408, for example, but not limiting of, maintains vehicle 102 in a position based on the position of vehicle 102 as determined by signal processor 406 using a control feedback loop.

Flight control system 408 is also configured to change the position of vehicle 102. Flight control system 408 controls at least one control device 105 to change the position of vehicle 102. For example, and without limitation, flight control system 408 controls at least one control device 105 to perform maneuvers such as forward flight, transition to or from hover, roll, yaw, climb, dive, slip, bank turn, standard speed turn, or other maneuvers. Flight control system 408 may change the position of vehicle 102 from one location to another based on instructions stored locally on vehicle 102. For example, but not limiting of, the flight control system 408 uses the position information from the positioning reference system 410, such as, but not limited to, position information from a global positioning reference system, to control the at least one control device 105 to change the position of the vehicle 102 from a first position to another position. This allows flight control system 408 to move vehicle 102 between locations such as waypoint 111, destination location 119, and/or other defined locations. In some embodiments, the flight control system 408 uses the position reference system 410 to travel from one location to another, and when the vehicle 102 receives the transmission signal 106 from the position reference system 104, the flight control system 408 controls the vehicle 102 to maintain the position of the vehicle 102 based on the transmission signal 106.

Flight control system 408 may also control at least one control device 105 based on information or instructions received at control system 404 from communication system 414. For example, the communication system 414 receives instructions from the vehicle re-energizing location 107 that, when executed by the flight control system 408, cause the flight control system 408 to control the at least one control device 105 to change the position of the vehicle 102 and/or perform a maneuver. The communication system 414 may also receive instructions from the vehicle reactivation location 107 corresponding to manual control of one or more control devices 105. This allows the operator to manually control the vehicle 102 in real time using the vehicle re-actuation position 107. In some embodiments, flight control system 408 assumes a default state without instructions received by communication system 414. For example, but not limiting of, the default state is to continue flying toward the waypoint 111 or the destination location 119, maintain the location using the transmission signals 106 received from the positioning reference system 104, maintain the location using the information received from the positioning reference system 410, and/or otherwise resume the default state.

The communication system 414 is a wireless communication transceiver configured to communicate via a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) implemented in accordance with an IEEE (institute of electrical and electronics engineers) 802.11 standard (i.e., WiFi), and/or via a mobile telephone (i.e., cellular) network (e.g., global system for mobile communications (GSM), 3G, 4G) or other mobile data network (e.g., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX)) or wired connection (i.e., one or more conductors for transmitting electrical signals), using a wireless communication transceiver such as Bluetooth^TMOr Z-Wave^TMThe wireless communication standard of (1) to communicate. .

The vehicle 102 also includes a sight transceiver 416. The line-of-sight transceiver 416 is configured to communicate with additional line-of-sight transceivers 416 (shown in fig. 6) using line-of-sight communication techniques. For example, but not limiting of, sight transceiver 416 is configured to transmit and receive coherent beams of laser light, microwave, infrared light, and/or other electromagnetic energy. The visual transceiver 416 is or includes, for example, but not limited to, a laser, a maser, an infrared emitter, an active pixel sensor, a bolometer, a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, a photodiode, or a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor.

In this embodiment, the vehicle 102 also includes a re-excitation device 418. The re-energizing device 418 is configured to wirelessly receive electromagnetic energy and re-energize the energy storage device 420 using the received electromagnetic energy. For example, but not limiting of, the re-energizing device 418 is configured to wirelessly receive electromagnetic energy to transmit the electromagnetic energy via at least one of inductive coupling, resonant inductive coupling, capacitive coupling, magnetic coupling, microwave, or optical transmission. The re-excitation device 418 includes one or more antenna devices configured to receive electromagnetic energy. For example, but not limiting of, the re-excitation device 418 includes a coil, a tuned coil, a lumped element resonator, an electrode, a rotating magnet, a parabolic dish, a phased array antenna, a laser, a photocell, a lens, and/or other devices for receiving electromagnetic radiation. The energy storage device 420 includes a first amount of energy for propelling the vehicle 102 along the vehicle travel path 101. In this embodiment, energy storage device 420 is configured to store electrical energy using at least one of a battery, a capacitor, a fuel cell, and/or other means for storing electrical energy. In alternative embodiments, the vehicle 102 is powered by liquid and/or solid fuel. In a further alternative embodiment, the vehicle 102 energy storage device 420 is a fuel tank or storage device and includes a fuel filler port (e.g., a probe configured to receive fuel from a drogue or other fuel source).

In this embodiment, the control device 105 controls the vehicle 102 to at least one vehicle re-energizing location 107, the at least one vehicle re-energizing location 107 configured to add a second amount of energy to the energy storage device 420. More specifically, the control device 105 determines a vehicle re-excitation position 107 from the plurality of vehicle re-excitation positions 107 based on at least the position information in the transmission signal 106 received by the electromagnetic radiation receiver 115, and guides the vehicle 102 to the re-excitation position. In some embodiments, the control device 105 determines the vehicle reactivation position 107 based on operational availability of the vehicle reactivation position 107. The operational availability of the vehicle re-excitation location 107 may be determined by a number of factors including the number of vehicles 102 being re-excited at the vehicle re-excitation location 107, the amount of energy stored at the vehicle re-excitation location 107, and/or the priority of the vehicle 102 currently being re-excited or entering the vehicle re-excitation location 107.

In this embodiment, the position reference system 104 is used to position the vehicle 102 relative to the refueling apparatus and/or the fuel source (e.g., in a station hold mode) for refueling/re-energizing via the vehicle re-energizing location 107.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a vehicle reactivation position 107 for the vehicle 102 and the position reference system 104 (both shown in fig. 1 and 4). The reactivation location 107 includes a communication system 414. The communication system 414 is configured to communicate with the communication system 414 of the vehicle 102. As described herein, the vehicle reactivation location 107 sends instructions for controlling the vehicle 102 to the vehicle 102 using the communication system 414 to facilitate guiding the vehicle to the reactivation location 107 along the vehicle travel path 101. Commands from the operator are received by the vehicle reactivation position 107 via the user interface 504. These commands are then sent as instructions to the vehicle 102 using the communication system 414. In some embodiments, the communication system 414 is also configured for wireless and/or wired communication with other devices, such as personal computers, workstations, networks, mobile computing devices, and/or other devices.

The user interface 504 is configured to receive operator inputs and provide outputs to the operator. For example, but not limited to, the user interface includes input devices including a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, joystick, throttle, button, switch, and/or other input device. For example, but not limiting of, the user interface includes output devices including a display (e.g., a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), or an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display), a speaker, an indicator light, a flight instrument, and/or other output devices.

The re-energizing location 107 also includes a re-energizing device 502 (e.g., a wireless power transceiver) configured to add a second amount of energy to the energy storage device 420. For example, but not limiting of, the re-energizing device 502 transmits electromagnetic energy using one or more of inductive coupling, resonant inductive coupling, capacitive coupling, magnetic coupling, microwave, or optical transmission. The re-energizing device 502 includes one or more antenna devices configured to transmit electromagnetic energy. For example, but not limiting of, the re-excitation device 502 includes a coil, a tuned coil, a lumped element resonator, an electrode, a rotating magnet, a parabolic dish, a phased array antenna, a laser, a photocell, a lens, and/or other devices for transmitting electromagnetic radiation. The re-energizing device 502 draws power from the energy storage device 506. The energy storage device 506 includes one or more of a battery, a fuel cell, a connection to a power grid, a generator, a solar panel, and/or other source of electrical energy. In some alternative embodiments, the re-excitation device 502 and a separate energy storage device 506 dedicated to the wireless power transceiver are separate from the vehicle re-excitation location 107. In an alternative embodiment, the re-energizing device 502 is a refueling device configured to refuel the vehicle 102 with liquid or solid fuel through a refueling port of the vehicle 102. In a further alternative embodiment, the re-excitation device 502 is configured to re-excite the vehicle 102 using a second amount of energy in the form of at least one of mechanical energy, electrical energy, magnetic energy, gravitational energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, and thermal energy.

The reactivation position 107 also includes a view transceiver 416. For example, but not limiting of, sight transceiver 416 is configured to transmit and receive coherent beams of laser light, microwave, infrared light, and/or other electromagnetic energy. The visual transceiver 416 is or includes, for example, but not limited to, a laser, a maser, an infrared emitter, an active pixel sensor, a bolometer, a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, a photodiode, or a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. In an alternative embodiment, the sight transceiver 416 is separate from the reactivation location and is included in a data hub having a communication connection to another remote computing device. The high bandwidth available through sight transceiver 416 allows vehicle 102 to transmit large amounts of data to vehicle re-excitation location 107 and/or other computer devices for processing off-board vehicle 102. This minimizes the computational requirements and weight of the vehicle 102, increasing range and flight time. The high bandwidth provided by sight transceiver 416 allows real-time off-board processing of data transmitted by vehicle 102.

In some embodiments, the vehicle reactivation position 107 is partially or fully handheld. In other embodiments, the vehicle reactivation position 107 is additionally mobile, such as included in the vehicle. Further, in some embodiments, the vehicle reactivation position 107 is fixed. The reactivation position 107 may also include a control system, processor and/or memory (not shown) that execute one or more instructions, programs or functions to provide the functionality of the vehicle reactivation position 107 described herein.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the position reference system 104 and the vehicle 102, where the vehicle 102 is positioned in line-of-sight communication with the vehicle reactivation position 107. The vehicle 102 is held in a stationary position relative to the position reference system 104 using the techniques described herein. The vehicle 102 maintains its position using position information from the position reference system 104 transmitted in transmission signals 106 in a transmission field 108, the transmission signals 106 forming a first grid 114 and a second grid 116. The reactivation position 107 and the vehicle 102 communicate using line-of-sight transmissions 602 transmitted between the vehicle 102 and the vehicle reactivation position 107. When the vehicle 102 is stationary in a fixed position relative to the position reference system 104, the vehicle re-excitation position 107 does not require the line-of-sight transceiver 416 (shown in fig. 6) of the vehicle re-excitation position 107 to be actively controlled to transmit a coherent beam to the line-of-sight transceiver 416 of the vehicle 102. For example, but not limiting of, the vehicle reactivation position 107 does not include a pointing and tracking system. Rather, the operator of the vehicle reactivation position 107 aligns the vehicle reactivation position 107 with the stationary vehicle 102 to establish line-of-sight communication between the vehicle 102 and the vehicle reactivation position 107. In an alternative embodiment, the vehicle reactivation position 107 receives the position of the vehicle 102 from the communication system 414 (shown in fig. 5) of the vehicle 102 and transmits the line-of-sight transmission 602 to the vehicle 102, where the line-of-sight transmission 602 is aligned based on the known position of the vehicle 102 and the known position of the vehicle reactivation position 107.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of positioning the vehicle 102 for wireless charging by the re-energizing device 502. The vehicle 102 is positioned in a stationary position relative to the position reference system 104 and/or the re-excitation device 502 using the techniques described herein. The vehicle 102 maintains its position using position information from the position reference system 104 transmitted in transmission signals 106 in a transmission field 108, the transmission signals 106 forming a first grid 114 and a second grid 116. The vehicle 102 controls one or more control devices 105 to maintain a stationary position based on the position information received from the position reference system 104. In some embodiments, the position reference system 104 is attached to or included in the reactivation apparatus 502. In an alternative embodiment, the position reference system 104 is remote from the reactivation apparatus 502. In some embodiments, the reactivation apparatus 502 is included in the reactivation position 107 (as shown in FIG. 6). In an alternative embodiment, the reactivation apparatus 502 is separate from the reactivation position 107. The vehicle 102 is positioned in air in a stationary position relative to the re-energizing device 502. In an alternative embodiment, the vehicle 102 is landed on a platform (not shown) that positions the vehicle 102 for wireless charging using position information from the position reference system 104. In a further alternative embodiment, the vehicle 102 is positioned as described herein for refueling via a refueling unit.

The re-energizing device 502 includes a first inductive coil 702 coupled to an energy storage device 420 (shown in fig. 5) by a terminal 704. An alternating current flows through the first induction coil 702, generating a magnetic field 708. Due to the position of the vehicle 102, the magnetic field 708 encompasses the re-excitation device 418 of the vehicle 102. The re-excitation means 418 comprises a second induction coil 706. The magnetic field 708 passing through the second induction coil 706 generates a current in the second induction coil 706 that charges the vehicle 102. In alternative embodiments, the re-energizing device 502 wirelessly charges the vehicle 102 using other wireless charging techniques and components. For example, but not limiting of, the re-energizing device 502 transmits electromagnetic energy using one or more of inductive coupling, resonant inductive coupling, capacitive coupling, magnetic coupling, microwave, or optical transmission. The re-energizing device 502 includes one or more antenna devices configured to transmit electromagnetic energy. For example, but not limiting of, the re-excitation device 502 includes a coil, a tuned coil, a lumped element resonator, an electrode, a rotating magnet, a parabolic dish, a phased array antenna, a laser, a photocell, a lens, and/or other devices for transmitting electromagnetic radiation. In alternative embodiments, recharging or refueling apparatus 502 includes a refueling component such as, but not limited to, a drogue, boom, hose, or other component configured to refuel vehicle 102 through a refueling port included in vehicle 102.

When the vehicle 102 is stationary at a fixed position relative to the re-excitation device 502, the vehicle re-excitation location 107 does not require wiring to actively control the re-excitation device 502 to transmit wireless energy to the re-excitation device 418 of the vehicle 102. For example, but not limiting of, the vehicle reactivation position 107 does not include a pointing and tracking system.

Fig. 9 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process 800 of locating a vehicle 102 (shown in fig. 1). At 802, the position reference system 104 (shown in FIG. 1) scans the electromagnetic radiation emitter 109 (shown in FIG. 1) along a raster pattern. For example, but not limiting of, the raster pattern corresponds to a first grid 114 and a second grid 116 (both shown in fig. 1). At 804, when the transmission signal 106 is transmitted, the position reference system 104 transmits the transmission signal 106 (shown in FIG. 1) encoded with position information associated with the positioning of the electromagnetic radiation emitters 109 in the raster pattern. For example, but not limited to, the transmission signal 106 is encoded using amplitude modulation as shown in fig. 3. At 806, the electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 (shown in fig. 1) of the vehicle 102 receives the transmission signal 106. At 808, the control system 404 (shown in fig. 5) of the vehicle 102 controls the at least one control device 105 (shown in fig. 1) based at least on the received transmission signal 106. For example, and without limitation, control system 404 processes received transmission signal 106 using signal processor 406 (shown in FIG. 5) and controls control device 105 using flight control system 408 (shown in FIG. 5).

The signal processor 406 determines the position of the vehicle 102 using the position information encoded in the transmission signal 106. If the position of the position reference system 104 is known, the position is either absolute with respect to the position reference system 104. In some embodiments, the signal processor 406 uses positioning information, such as pitch angle, roll angle, yaw angle, altitude, and/or other positioning information from the positioning reference system 410 (shown in fig. 5) in determining the position and/or location of the vehicle 102 along the vehicle travel path 101. For example, but not limiting of, the signal processor 406 combines the position information and the positioning information using a kalman filter.

In the exemplary embodiment, at 814, control system 404 positions vehicle 102 at a stationary position relative to vehicle re-energizing position 107. For example, the vehicle 102 is positioned in a stationary position relative to the position reference system 104, which allows the vehicle re-energizing position 107 to be located or moved to a stationary or substantially stationary position relative to the position of the vehicle 102, such as when handheld. In an alternative embodiment, the vehicle reactivation position 107 is in communication with the vehicle 102 and/or the vehicle reactivation position 107 and provides information corresponding to the position of the vehicle reactivation position 107. Using this information and the position information from the position reference system 104, the control system 404 positions the vehicle 102 at a particular rest position relative to the vehicle re-excitation position 107.

When in the rest position, the vehicle re-excitation position 107 transmits electromagnetic energy from the re-excitation device 502 (shown in fig. 6) at 818. For example, but not limiting of, the re-energizing device 502 transmits electromagnetic energy using one or more of inductive coupling, resonant inductive coupling, capacitive coupling, magnetic coupling, microwave, or optical transmission. At 820, the vehicle 102 receives the transmitted electromagnetic energy using the re-excitation device 418 (shown in fig. 5). Maintaining the vehicle 102 in a stationary position using the control system 404 and the position reference system 104 facilitates receiving electromagnetic energy by reducing decoupling of the re-excitation device 502 and the re-excitation device 418 due to movement of the vehicle 102. Maintaining the vehicle 102 in a stationary position using the control system 404 and the position reference system 104 also facilitates receiving electromagnetic energy by implementing a wireless charging technique using coherent beams, such as charging by receiving laser light or microwaves.

Fig. 10 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process 900 of changing the position of the vehicle 102 (shown in fig. 1). At 902, the control system 404 (shown in fig. 5) of the vehicle 102 receives position information from the position reference system 104 (shown in fig. 1) using the electromagnetic radiation receiver 115 (shown in fig. 1). For example, but not limiting of, the location information includes information about the location of the vehicle 102 relative to the position reference system 104. In some embodiments, the vehicle 102 also receives additional location information from a position reference system 410 (shown in fig. 5) of the vehicle 102. For example, but not limiting of, the additional location information is or includes coordinates from a global positioning reference system. At 904, the control system 404 (shown in fig. 5) receives positioning information from the inertial sensors. For example, and without limitation, the control system 404 receives positioning information, such as roll angle, yaw angle, pitch angle, airspeed, altitude, and/or other positioning information, from sensors (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, inclinometers, and/or other sensors) of the positioning reference system 410.

At 906, the vehicle 102 processes the position information and the positioning information. For example, but not limiting of, the vehicle 102 processes the position information and the positioning information using a signal processor 406 (shown in fig. 5) and a kalman filter or other functionality. In an alternative embodiment, the location information and positioning information are processed remotely from the vehicle 102 and the results are transmitted to the vehicle 102. For example, but not limiting of, the vehicle 102 transmits the position information and the positioning information to the vehicle reactivation position 107 (shown in fig. 6) using the communication system 414 (shown in fig. 5). The re-excitation location 107 processes the location information and the positioning information and transmits the results to the communication system 414 of the vehicle 102.

At 908, based on the processed position information and the positioning information, the control system 404 adjusts the position and/or location of the vehicle 102 to stabilize the vehicle 102 at a particular location. For example, and without limitation, control system 404 maintains vehicle 102 in its current position using flight control system 408 (shown in FIG. 5) and the control of at least one control device 105 (shown in FIG. 5). The vehicle 102 iteratively receives position information, receives positioning information, processes the position and positioning information, and adjusts the positioning of the vehicle 102 to stabilize the vehicle 102 at, for example, a position in the queue of vehicles 102 waiting to be re-excited at the re-excitation position 107.

At 910, the control system 404 of the vehicle 102 executes a command to change the position of the vehicle 102. For example, but not limiting of, the vehicle 102 receives a command to change position from the vehicle re-energizing position 107 using the communication system 414. The control system 404 executes the command to change position and controls the at least one control device 105 to change the position of the vehicle 102. The command to change position may be a command to travel to a particular waypoint 111 or destination location 119, a command to actuate a particular control device 105 in a particular manner, or other command to otherwise change the position of the vehicle 102. Once the position of the vehicle 102 has been changed by executing the command to change position, the vehicle 102 receives position information from the position reference system 104, as well as updates of any vehicle travel path 101 received from the vehicle trajectory management system 103 at the new position. For example, but not limiting of, the vehicle 102 maintains a position fix at a first location based on position data from the position reference system 104, executes a command to change position, and proceeds to a second location. At the second location, the vehicle 102 receives position information from the same or a different position reference system 104. Using the position information from the position reference system 104, the vehicle 102 maintains its position and/or position.

Fig. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1000 for guiding the vehicle 102. Referring to fig. 1-10, the method 1000 includes generating, at 1002, a vehicle travel path 101 using the vehicle trajectory management system 103, the vehicle travel path 101 including a plurality of waypoints 111, the plurality of waypoints 111 including a departure location 113, a destination location 119 and at least one vehicle reactivation location 107 positioned between the departure location and the destination location. The method 1000 further includes transmitting, at 1004, a transmission signal including position information associated with the coordinate system using a position reference system 104 including the transmitter 109. The method 1000 also includes receiving the transmission signal using the receiver 115 of the vehicle 102 at 1006. Finally, the method 1000 includes controlling the vehicle 102 along the vehicle travel path 101 using the control device 105 of the vehicle 102 based on the position information received from the position reference system 104, at 1008.

The above-described methods and systems provide enhanced vehicle travel path planning, vehicle travel scheduling, vehicle positioning, vehicle guidance, and vehicle re-excitation for multiple vehicles along a vehicle travel path. Further, the systems and methods described herein allow for enhanced real-time in-transit vehicle travel path updates, including being directed to vehicle re-launch locations based on the vehicle's changed launch status and the in-transit vehicle's re-launch priority along similar vehicle travel paths. In addition, the systems and methods described herein facilitate rapid and efficient re-excitation of a vehicle by maintaining the vehicle in a stationary position and more accurately and efficiently guiding the vehicle to a particular re-excitation location. By accurately establishing the position of the vehicle relative to a fixed or mobile position reference system and scheduling the re-energizing location in real time in response to the current energizing status of the vehicle and the vehicle travel path, the vehicle is able to achieve enhanced operational capability, usability and more efficient operation.

Exemplary technical effects of the methods, systems, and apparatus described herein include at least one of: (a) generating a plurality of multi-dimensional vehicle travel paths using a vehicle trajectory management system and a position reference system; (b) guiding a plurality of vehicles along a plurality of vehicle travel paths; (c) arranging a plurality of vehicles at a plurality of vehicle re-energizing locations; (d) guiding and maintaining the plurality of vehicles in a stationary position at a plurality of vehicle re-energizing positions; (e) the plurality of vehicles at the plurality of vehicle re-launch locations are re-launched along the plurality of generated vehicle travel paths.

Exemplary embodiments of methods and systems for guiding a vehicle along a travel path including at least one re-energizing location are described above in detail. The methods and systems described herein are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but rather, components of systems or steps of the methods may be utilized independently and separately from other components or steps described herein. For example, the methods may also be used in conjunction with multiple vehicles and/or position reference systems, and are not limited to practice with only the vehicle types and position reference systems as described herein. In addition, the method may also be used with other components of the apparatus and is not limited to practice with only the components described herein. Rather, the exemplary embodiment can be implemented and utilized in connection with many other vehicles and position reference systems.

Although specific features of various embodiments may be shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only. In accordance with the principles of the systems and methods described herein, any feature of a drawing may be referenced or claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing.

Some embodiments involve the use of one or more electronic or computing devices. Such devices typically include a processor, processing device or controller, such as a general purpose Central Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), microcontroller, Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processor, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Programmable Logic Circuit (PLC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Digital Signal Processing (DSP) device, and/or any other circuit or processing device capable of performing the functions described herein. The methods described herein may be encoded as executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium, including but not limited to storage devices and/or memory devices. When executed by a processing device, the instructions cause the processing device to perform at least a portion of the methods described herein. The above examples are exemplary only, and are thus not intended to limit in any way the definition and/or meaning of the terms processor and processing device.

Further aspects of the invention are provided by the subject matter of the following clauses:

1. a vehicle guidance system, comprising:

a vehicle trajectory management system configured to generate a vehicle travel path including a plurality of waypoints including a departure location, a destination location, and at least one vehicle re-excitation location positioned between the departure location and the destination location;

a positioning reference system including a transmitter configured to transmit a transmission signal including position information associated with a coordinate system; and

a vehicle, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a transmission signal;

an energy storage device configured to store energy for propelling the vehicle along a vehicle travel path, wherein at least one vehicle re-energizing location is configured to add an amount of energy to the energy storage device; and

a control device comprising a control system in communication with the position reference system and the vehicle trajectory management system, the control device configured to control the vehicle along a vehicle travel path based on position information received from the position reference system.

2. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the control device is configured to control the vehicle along a vehicle travel path without using satellite-based navigation system data.

3. The guidance system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the position reference system is configured to scan a beam encoded with position information and emitted by the emitter in a grid pattern, and wherein the position information corresponds to a current position of the beam within the grid pattern.

4. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle trajectory management system is configured to determine and book at least one vehicle reactivation location based on at least one of:

the length of the vehicle travel path;

operational availability of at least one vehicle reactivation position;

weather conditions along the vehicle travel path;

an amount of energy stored by the energy storage device; and

a priority of the vehicle relative to at least one other vehicle.

5. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the energy storage device is configured to store at least one of mechanical energy, electrical energy, magnetic energy, gravitational energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, and thermal energy.

6. The guidance system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle is an unmanned vehicle, and wherein the unmanned vehicle is at least one of an air-based unmanned vehicle, a land-based unmanned vehicle, and a water-based unmanned vehicle.

7. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate autonomously.

8. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle further comprises a wireless charging receiver configured to receive electromagnetic energy from a wireless charging transmitter of at least one vehicle re-excitation location.

9. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the wireless charging receiver is configured to receive energy by at least one of magnetic induction, a beam of microwave energy, and a beam of laser energy.

10. A vehicle guidance system, comprising:

a positioning reference system comprising a scanning electromagnetic radiation emitter configured to modulate a transmission signal to encode position information associated with a coordinate system; and

a vehicle, comprising:

an electromagnetic radiation receiver configured to receive the transmission signal;

a control device comprising a control system in communication with the position reference system and the vehicle trajectory management system, the control device configured to control the vehicle along a vehicle travel path based on position information received from the position reference system, wherein at least one of the vehicle trajectory management system and the control system determines at least one vehicle re-excitation location based on at least the position information received by the electromagnetic radiation receiver; and

an energy storage device configured to store energy for propelling the vehicle along a vehicle travel path, wherein at least one vehicle re-energizing location is configured to add energy to the energy storage device.

11. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the scanning electromagnetic radiation emitter comprises a laser emitter.

12. A guidance system according to any preceding claim, wherein the positioning reference system is configured to scan a beam emitted in a raster pattern by a scanning electromagnetic radiation emitter, and the positional information encoded on the beam corresponds to a current position of the beam within the raster pattern.

13. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle trajectory management system is configured to determine and book at least one vehicle reactivation location based on at least one of:

the length of the vehicle travel path;

operational availability of at least one vehicle reactivation position;

weather conditions along the vehicle travel path;

an amount of energy stored by the energy storage device; and

a priority of the vehicle relative to at least one other vehicle.

14. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the energy storage device is configured to store at least one of mechanical energy, electrical energy, magnetic energy, gravitational energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, and thermal energy.

15. The guidance system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle is an unmanned vehicle, and wherein the unmanned vehicle is at least one of an air-based unmanned vehicle, a land-based unmanned vehicle, and a water-based unmanned vehicle.

16. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate autonomously.

17. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle further comprises a wireless charging receiver configured to receive electromagnetic energy from a wireless charging transmitter of at least one vehicle re-excitation location.

18. The guidance system of any preceding claim, wherein the wireless charging receiver is configured to receive energy by at least one of magnetic induction, a beam of microwave energy, and a beam of laser energy.

19. A method for guiding a vehicle, the method comprising:

generating, using a vehicle trajectory management system, a vehicle travel path comprising a plurality of waypoints including a departure location, a destination location, and at least one vehicle reactivation location positioned between the departure location and the destination location;

transmitting, using a positioning reference system comprising a transmitter, a transmission signal comprising position information associated with a coordinate system;

receiving, using a receiver of the vehicle, the transmission signal; and

controlling the vehicle along a vehicle travel path based on the position information received from the position reference system using a control device of the vehicle.

20. The method of any of the preceding claims, further comprising propelling the vehicle along the vehicle travel path using energy stored in an energy storage device of the vehicle.

This written description uses examples to disclose the embodiments, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the embodiments, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle guidance system, comprising:

a vehicle trajectory management system configured to generate a vehicle travel path including a plurality of waypoints including a departure location, a destination location, and at least one vehicle reactivation location positioned between the departure location and the destination location;

a positioning reference system comprising a transmitter configured to transmit a transmission signal comprising position information associated with a coordinate system; and

a vehicle, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive the transmission signal;

an energy storage device configured to store energy for propelling the vehicle along the vehicle travel path, wherein the at least one vehicle re-energizing location is configured to add an amount of energy to the energy storage device; and

a control device comprising a control system in communication with the position reference system and the vehicle trajectory management system, the control device configured to control the vehicle along the vehicle travel path based on the position information received from the position reference system.

2. The guidance system of claim 1 wherein the control device is configured to control the vehicle along the vehicle travel path without using satellite-based navigation system data.

3. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the position reference system is configured to scan a beam encoded with the position information and transmitted by the transmitter in a grid pattern, and wherein the position information corresponds to a current position of the beam within the grid pattern.

4. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle trajectory management system is configured to determine and book the at least one vehicle reactivation location based on at least one of:

a length of the vehicle travel path;

operational availability of the at least one vehicle reactivation position;

weather conditions along the vehicle travel path;

an amount of energy stored by the energy storage device; and

a priority of the vehicle relative to at least one other vehicle.

5. The guidance system of claim 4, wherein the energy storage device is configured to store at least one of mechanical energy, electrical energy, magnetic energy, gravitational energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, and thermal energy.

6. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an unmanned vehicle, and wherein the unmanned vehicle is at least one of an air-based unmanned vehicle, a land-based unmanned vehicle, and a water-based unmanned vehicle.

7. The guidance system of claim 6 wherein the vehicle is configured to operate autonomously.

8. The guidance system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle further comprises a wireless charging receiver configured to receive electromagnetic energy from a wireless charging transmitter of the at least one vehicle re-excitation location.

9. A vehicle guidance system, comprising:

a vehicle, comprising:

a control device comprising a control system in communication with the position reference system and the vehicle trajectory management system, the control device configured to control the vehicle along the vehicle travel path based on the position information received from the position reference system, wherein at least one of the vehicle trajectory management system and the control system determines the at least one vehicle re-excitation location based at least on the position information received by the electromagnetic radiation receiver; and

an energy storage device configured to store energy for propelling the vehicle along the vehicle travel path, wherein the at least one vehicle re-energizing location is configured to add energy to the energy storage device.

10. A method for guiding a vehicle, the method comprising:

generating, using a vehicle trajectory management system, a vehicle travel path comprising a plurality of waypoints including a departure location, a destination location, and at least one vehicle re-excitation location positioned between the departure location and the destination location;

receiving, using a receiver of the vehicle, the transmission signal; and

controlling, using a control device of the vehicle, the vehicle along the vehicle travel path based on the position information received from the position reference system.